


Winter

by sehellys



Category: The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Family Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-15 21:08:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29195835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sehellys/pseuds/sehellys
Summary: Winter has come to the Hidden Valley and Elrond will send his elves out into the cold on a nigh impossible quest.
Relationships: Celebrían/Elrond Peredhel
Kudos: 14





	Winter

It was winter in Imladris. Snow had come down from the mountains and covered the ravine in a layer of pristine white. The chill of frost was on the wind, but inside the fires of the Last Homely House kept the cold at bay, a haven of warmth and comfort surrounded by the beauty of winter at its best. Already the days were growing longer and today the sun shone merrily on the covered landscape – outside their doors lay a veritable playground of ice and snow.

But even though the dinner bell had struck some time ago, Elrond was still engrossed in his study, still busy with a treaty concerning trade and military aid between Imladris and the High Kingdom of Arnor.

He looked up briefly to gauge the time from the evening light that shone in through the high window and found his gaze traveling almost of its own accord to his wife, sitting at the other end of the study. The sunlight danced in her bright hair while she was fluently combining both her current needlework project and a discussion with Erestor about the spring festivities. How could she make running this household seem so effortless? It struck him again how lucky he had been to win the heart of Celebrian for surely there was no match in all of Arda for her beauty, her wit and her smile.

A hesitant knock at the door brought him back to the present, and he noticed rather sheepishly that his treaty lay forgotten and he had been gazing at his wife like a love-struck puppy for some time. He turned to the door to find Thavron hesitating at the entrance. His elaborate braids were encrusted in snow and his tunic was dripping water onto the door step.

“My lord, I ..,” he began but faltered, his gaze darted quickly to Celebrian and Erestor before returning to meet Elrond’s. “I failed, my lord. I am sorry.”

Elrond sighed. Truth be told he had expected little less. “It is I who should be sorry Thavron, to have asked you in the first place. Thank you for trying.” He excused the other elf and sighed again. He would need to send someone else, but whom?

Erestor excused himself rather abruptly, but then he had already earlier claimed “tasks that could not be delayed” and was as such quite unavailable.

“I have told you, you should send Glorfindel.” Celebrian’s sweet voice reminded him.

“I cannot possibly ask Glorfindel to … ah Lindir!” he called, as he spotted the minstrel walking past the door.

“My lord?”

He beckoned the other elf closer, valiantly ignoring the swing of Celebrian’s golden tresses as she shook her head at his obstinacy. “Lindir, I was wondering if you had the time to…”

~o0o~

The sun was close to setting behind the mouth of the vale by the time Lindir returned – empty handed and without success, just as Thavron. Celebrian was kind enough not to say anything, though, as it turned out, that was only because she had already prepared for this event.

Mere moments after Lindir left, Glorfindel entered his study. “Elrond? You called for me?”

He glanced at Celebrian whose sole answer was a sugar sweet smile and accepted his defeat. “It would seem that I did”, he acknowledged. “I was wondering if you could do us a small favour.”

~o0o~

Glorfindel’s return was surprisingly swift and heralded by the sound of the excited chatter and running feet of Elrond’s sons.

“Ada! Amme!” Elrohir was the first to burst into the room, all red cheeks from the chilly wind and with an excited gleam in his eyes. “Did you know that Asfaloth is just as white as the snow? We did an empi.. an empiri.. we tested!”

“But the ringing of the bells in his bridle can be heard for a mile over the snow-covered grounds,” Elladan added more critically. He turned to Glorfindel and continued gravely: “He is no good for sneaking at all!”

“Is that so?” Celebrian laughed as she rose to stroke the wet unruly locks out of her sons’ faces and bestowed a kiss on each of their heads. “I wonder that if you heard Asfaloth’s bridle so easily how you could have missed the ringing of the dinner bell?”

Elrond almost laughed at the identical sheepish expressions on his sons’ faces. Ah, but it was impossible to find fault in their exuberant nature and the sheer joy at the wonders of this world they expressed.

“Let us catch up on the missed dinner now,” he said, rising at last from behind his heavy desk. It felt good to finally lay down the quill and the long documents and to be, if only for the moment, father and husband rather than lord of Imladris. He much preferred this role.

“Thank you, Glrofindel”, he said when he reached his friend’s side, “for retrieving them once more.”

The golden-haired elf only smiled. “It was a pleasure, as always.”

~o fini o~


End file.
